An October 2023 study published in journal Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, indicates that both middle and high school debate programs are linked to improvements in academic achievement, graduation rates, and college enrollment.  Impacts were largest among students who were lowest achieving prior to joining debate.

Typically, extracurricular debate programs are disproportionately found in private and high-income public schools.  However, this study was conducted in the context of the Boston Public Schools, where the Boston Debate League, a nonprofit, serves a student population that is majority low income and students of color.  These results provide policymakers a promising program for reducing inequality in reading achievement, analytical thinking skills, and educational attainment among middle and high school students.